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Nepali girl students learn to make their own sanitary pads

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KUSMA, PARBAT – Nepali girl students often face a dilemma to attend school when they are having a period since they do not have access to sanitary pads. In order to resolve the concern about hygiene, training has been rolled out to school girls to make their own sanitary pads.

The training has been conducted by Parbat district in cooperation with Arambh Nepal and district education office. Four community schools of Kusma gave one-day training to 42 girl students from class eight to twelve. After the training, the girl students have started to make their own stationary pads.

The school superintendent of district education office, Jhalaknath Acharya, encouraged girl students to implement the training in their life and at the same time disseminate the knowledge to their mother and sisters. He said, “This training has helped girls who feel shy about the period as they are often teased due to it.”

The training was focused on menstruation period cycle, its scientific reasons, critiquing false idea about periods, and sharing knowledge about rural products that can be used to make sanitary pads for a period.

Rajendra Pahadi, a member of National Initiative for Education, commented that a large number of girl students had quit schools due to period and those who continued to attend schools saw a decrease in their studying skills—and for that particular reason the training was launched.

”Commercial pads found in the market are expensive and it also contains chemicals which are harmful to women’s health. Also, since such sanitary pads aren’t readily available in rural areas, girls use old and clean clothes during their periods. That’s why we have provided this training,” said Pahad.

Girl students aged twelve to eighteen of Shivalaya School Kusma, Narayan School Kusma, Manglodaya Chuwa and General School Katuwachaupari now make their own sanitary pads in free time.

Japanese social worker Yuki Yamamoto and LGCDP Nepal’s social mobilize Sita BK facilitated the training. According to facilitator Yamamoto, a sanitary pad can be made for NRs. 15.